OpenAI's text-to-video generator Sora is once again featured in a feature film as the AI firm seeks to establish its position in the entertainment industry. This time in a short promo film for Toys "R" Us.
Screened at the 2024 Cannes Lions Festival in France this week, the one-minute-long promotional film was showcased to highlight the AI's capabilities in generating near-realistic video clips and special effects.
The collaboration employed the Emmy-nominated creative agency Native Foreign to produce an origin story for the retail chain's founder Charles Lazarus and the brand's mascot Geoffrey the Giraffe.
Toys "R" Us Creative studios CMO Kim Miller told CNN that the collaboration project is part of the company's current plans to explore new advertising options following its revival five years after it first announced bankruptcy.
The promo video was the first time a major business has ever used OpenAI's Sora video generator to advertise directly a product or brand.
A short trailer clip of the AI-generated video can be watched on Toys "R" Us' official YouTube channel with the whole promo film available on its website.
Toys 'R' Us AI-Generated Promo Filled with Inconsistencies
While Toys "R" Us and Native Foreign touted the AI venture to be a success, the finished product depicts noticeable inconsistencies and flaws mostly exclusive to generative AI models.
The most notable inconsistencies are the varying qualities between clips and promo products featured in the film, at least much more noticeable than special effects in the retail business's previous ad videos.
This is not to mention the warped details in the background, including the bike's spokes and detail focus.
Native Foreign Chief Creative Office Nik Kleverov even admitted that the AI would sometimes "create something that was almost right and other times not so right."
As of writing, OpenAI has not yet released Sora to the public with only a limited number of early testers, including Native Foreign, able to access the video-generating AI for business purposes.
OpenAI Increases Presence in Film, TV Production
Sora AI's appearance at the 2024 Cannes Festival is only the latest instance of OpenAI being featured in film and tv events as it markets its AI video generators to the entertainment industry.
Earlier this month, five Sora-generated films were also featured during the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival in collaboration with several notable filmmakers.
This is in addition to reports of OpenAI opening discussions with Hollywood studio executives for potential applications of Sora AI to future film and TV productions.
Several industry experts have already warned that the generative AI's presence in the entertainment industry, especially after the Hollywood actors' strike last year, could disrupt the market.
